NEW DELHI: Government is not looking at an immediate easing of export bans on several farm goods including wheat, rice, onion and sugar, Union commerce and consumer affairs minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday, while maintaining that interests of consumers and farmers is paramount.
Amid market speculation, the minister also ruled out any possibility of importing wheat, sugar or maize and said that government is taking all possible steps to ensure that prices remain under check. Goyal also said that he would look at ways to ensure that rice prices cool down.
Government has resorted to several checks to ensure that food prices do not rise, putting a burden on consumers. The restrictions are expected to continue until the elections although the government has maintained that the situation is dynamic. Goyal said, as per estimate, wheat production is expected to be around 114 million tonnes, which will be the highest-ever and the ministry has positive information from key producing states.
On the issue of onion prices plummeting and the increasing demand of traders to allow export of the key kitchen staple, officials said government agencies have set up their facilities across all major mandis including Nasik, Dhule, Solapur and Pune to procure what farmers bring to sell and they are getting good price.
Sources said traders are campaigning for the lifting of the ban as their “interest have been hit hard”.
India, the world’s second-largest producer of wheat, rice and sugar, had imposed restrictions on the exports of these last year to check the domestic prices. It also banned the export of onion after prices started to rise on account of lower yield last year. Similarly, wheat export was banned in May 2022 on account of less yield and spike in prices. India also banned the export of non-basmati rice from July 2023 and extended restrictions on sugar exports beyond October 2023.
Goyal said that while every step is being taken to keep prices under check, India has continued helping friendly nations with their food security needs.